This easy to whip up red lentil soup is extra creamy thanks to the addition of a potato. Healthy, comforting, and made from simple pantry ingredients. It can be vegetarian/vegan if you use vegetarian stock.

It should be soup season, although the temperatures just haven't gotten there. But it is Election Day (stressful!) and I have a very sick daughter (sad), so I am in need of the comfort that soup provides.

I love red lentils. Slender little orange disks that puree so beautifully. I feel healthier just thinking about eating a bowl of lentil soup. Unfortunately, brown lentils are boring to me. I just can't get excited about them. If you feel similarly humdrum about brown lentils, give this red lentil soup a try. It is gently spiced with cumin (not enough to bother my spice-sensitive daughter) and reheats well, so make a batch and enjoy leftovers throughout the week.

This recipe uses one of my favorite kitchen tools, a stick blender or immersion blender. There's nothing I hate more than pouring hot soup into my food processor and then cleaning it all up afterwards. This makes pureeing soups a dream!

Red Lentil Soup

Serves 6-8

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 small onion, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 large carrot, diced
• 1 baking potato, peeled and diced
• 1 1/4 cup red lentils
• 1 1/2 quarts chicken broth or vegetable broth
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• salt and ground pepper, to taste

1. In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and carrot, and heat for 5 minutes or so until things start to soften. Add the potato, lentils, and broth, and bring to a boil. Lower heat to a simmer, cover and let it do its thing for about 40 minutes, until everything is tender and the lentils are mushy.

2. Remove from the heat and use a stick blender to puree the soup until smooth. (Alternately, you could puree in batches in a blender or food processor.) Return to low heat and add cumin, lemon juice, and salt and pepper. Serve.

Adapted from Food & Wine.